Will Hassan Whiteside play Wednesday vs. Bulls? Miami Heat will wait to make decision

MIAMI — Center Hassan Whiteside continues to make progress, but there’s still uncertainty surrounding his status for Wednesday’s home game against the Bulls.

On a light day for the Heat (2-4) following Monday’s exhausting overtime loss to the Timberwolves, Whiteside worked through some 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 drills. That’s definitely a step in the right direction for Whiteside after missing the past five games with a bone bruise in his left knee, but coach Erik Spoelstra said the Heat would wait until Wednesday to see how Whiteside feels before making a decision on his status for the contest.

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside, center, looks on from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

“He worked today, some 2-on-2s, 3-on-3,” Spoelstra said Tuesday. “He’s still working right now. So he’s making progress. We’ll evaluate him tomorrow. I don’t have a determination on when he’ll be ready. Everything is basically work, see how his body responds to it. Every day has been a little bit better, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow, if he can go through shootaround.”

Spoelstra would not say if Whiteside’s work on Tuesday classified as contact work. The Heat usually prefer to put players through at least one contact practice before bringing them back from injury.

Along with his time on the court Tuesday, Whiteside went through the full shootaround in advance of Monday’s game against Minnesota and participated in a full non-contact workout Sunday.

In addition to the uncertainty surrounding Whiteside, starting point guard Goran Dragic was sent home Tuesday with an illness. Miami is hopeful Dragic will be available to play Wednesday against the Bulls.

The Heat have posted a 2-3 record without Whiteside and have struggled to stop teams from scoring in the paint with Miami allowing the fifth-most paint points in the league at 49.7 per game this season. The Heat also entered Tuesday ranked 23rd in the league with a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 107.6.

“It certainly would be a boost,” Spoelstra said of Whiteside’s possible return. “He’s come such a long way, such a pivotal part of what we do, on both sides of the court. But, with that said, we still have to be better as a collective unit, particularly defensively. We can’t just expect him to erase all of our woes right now. And he’s not going to be able to protect everything in the paint for us.”

Whiteside has played in just one of the Heat’s first six games this season. The 28-year-old recorded 26 points and 22 rebounds in a season-opening loss to the Magic.

Jordan Mickey started the first two games Whiteside missed, and rookie Bam Adebayo has started the past three games in his place.

If Whiteside is not able to play Wednesday, he will likely have to make his return on the road. Wednesday’s matchup against the Bulls marks the end of the Heat’s season-long six-game homestand before they embark on a season-long six-game road trip.